British vocalist Raleigh Ritchie teams up with The Internet for an EP of remixes called Black and Blue point two. The previous grandiose production is replaced by minimalist electro-jazz soundscapes, and the result is enchanting.

Party people! Join us this coming Monday, February 24 for a beautiful night with Rich Medina spinning tunes at Le Bain in NYC. Leading up to the night, we have our maestro bringing us up to speed on his favorite artists of the moment, what makes a great party, and other exciting morsels. Enjoy!

Giant Step: You’ve played at Le Bain a couple times for us now. What’s your favorite part about spinning there?

Rich Medina: There are many things I love about Le Bain, but the most important factor for me is the clientele. The meat packing district is a different monster in the 21st century, so the music heads and dancers who come to the nights I do there really make me happy.

GS: What type of music can folks expect to hear you spin on the 24th?

RM: So far, we’ve kept the music mature and sophisticated. A bit of a tip of the hat to the NYC dance club pioneers like Larry Levan, David Mancuso and the like. Freedom music. Sounds that bring people into the light rather than fan the flames of rebellion or angst.

As 2013 nears its end, we continue our tradition of yearly staff picks summing up our favorite music from the 12 months past. This year is very special as we’ve extended our list makers to include Giant Step fam outside of the staff itself; many thanks to Maiya Norton, Nai Palm (Hiatus Kaiyote), Natasha Diggs, Rich Medina, and DJ Spinna for contributing their takes!